Companies that use Meta’s social media platforms will find a new tool in their arsenal: AI agents.
According to The Wall Street Journal, Meta will add an AI agent for businesses on WhatsApp, Instagram and Messenger apps globally. The agent can do such things as answer customer questions, book appointments and close sales, according to the paper.
In the future, Meta is expected to add market research capabilities, competitive intelligence services, calendar management and others.
“As our models advance, your agent will take on more and eventually help you run your whole business,” Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg said during taped remarks at a London conference, according to the Journal.
The move marks a major step for Meta, whose core business is selling ads targeting consumers. But Zuckerberg has been discussing opportunities in selling services to enterprises as its spending on AI infrastructure rises. This year, Meta said it would spend $145 billion mainly for data centers.
AI agents for businesses is free for now, with paid subscription tiers to come.
Meta also plans to introduce an agent platform for larger companies that use WhatsApp for their business. Fees will be assessed by usage instead of a set subscription fee.
Meta’s expanded focus on business customers comes as the social media giant recently saw its daily active user count decline sequentially for the first time since 2019.